What Happens When Someone Dies

If a loved one has sadly passed away at home, the first contact should be with the deceased’s doctor who, if satisfied, will issue the medical certificate of death. Sometimes you will be asked to collect this from the surgery.

If the doctor is uncertain as to the cause of death, they will refer the death to the coroner. If you are uncertain whether someone is dead, you should call the doctor, or dial 999 and ask for an ambulance.

What happens when someone dies in
hospital or in a nursing home

If your loved one is
residing in a care home, and family are not present when passing occurs, the
nursing staff will contact you. They will arrange for a doctor to issue the
medical certificate of death and a release form, which needs to be signed by
the next of kin, releasing the deceased into the care of the funeral
director.

If the funeral is to
be a cremation, please inform the hospital staff. When all necessary paperwork
has been completed, the funeral director will collect the deceased and take them
into their care.

If a death occurs in a nursing home, the nursing staff will contact you and they will make the arrangements with a doctor. They will then contact the funeral director on your behalf to arrange to collect the deceased and take them into their care.

What happens when someone dies
unexpectedly

When a death is sadly
unexpected, it is normal for the coroner to be involved. The main duties of the
Coroner are to investigate all sudden and unexpected deaths. Once a death has
been reported to the coroner the facts surrounding the death will be
investigated. This may include a post-mortem examination to establish the cause
of death.

What happens when someone dies away
from home or abroad

If someone passes away abroad, you may have concerns over returning them to the UK, or how to gain the death certificates. When someone dies away from home, the formalities will be completed by a doctor or hospital staff in that area. Arrangements can be made by a funeral director to bring the deceased home.

Please do not hesitate to contact us to discuss your options and the different services that we offer. Whatever your requirements are, we can help and arrange it for you.

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A Few Kind Words...

“I just wanted to drop you a line to say a massive thank you for everything you have done over the last two weeks. When I walked into Alan Greenwood’s on the 5th November I didn’t know where or how I was going to organise my lovely Mum’s funeral and the thought of it horrified me, you made a daunting job so much easier and were there to guide me all the way until the day of the funeral.”

I can’t thank you enough for your kind words, thoughts and help during this very difficult time. Losing someone as precious as mum is very hard but you helped so much. Thank you for everything you have done for mum, myself and my family.”